Executive Director for Arts and Humanities

Executive Director for Arts and Humanities IU Bloomington

Position Description

THE SEARCH

Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) seeks a dynamic and visionary faculty leader to serve as the inaugural Executive Director for Arts and Humanities (EDAH).

One of the world’s premier academic and research institutions for the arts and humanities, Indiana University Bloomington offers a truly unique blend of academic schools, including the Jacobs School of Music, the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, and The Media School; extensive humanities programs; priceless museums, collections, and libraries, including the Eskenazi Museum of Art and Lilly Library; field-leading research and creative activity; and more than a thousand annual programs, exhibitions, and performances.

The Executive Director role presents a one-of-a-kind opportunity for an accomplished creative leader to increase student and community engagement with IU Bloomington’s extraordinary offerings in arts and humanities; foster new creative collaborations with cultural institutions and community organizations; and grow visibility and recognition for IU Bloomington’s local and global leadership in arts and humanities broadly.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY BLOOMINGTON

Founded in 1820, Indiana University Bloomington is the flagship residential, doctoral-extensive research campus of Indiana University (IU), with additional core components in the highly ranked IU school of Medicine in Indianapolis, and several campuses and regional centers across the state. Indiana University is committed to excellence; global engagement; inclusion and diversity; academic freedom; and meeting the changing educational and research needs of the state, the nation, and the world.

The Bloomington campus enrolls more than 36,000 undergraduate and nearly 11,000 graduate students who learn, explore, and grow in more than 300 bachelor’s and graduate programs and with access to more than 200 research centers and institutes across 17 schools and colleges. Diversity, equity, andinclusion are core values of the entire Indiana University system, and Indiana has consistently increased the diversity of its entering class in recent years. A large number of Indiana students are Pell recipients, and the campus has pioneered efforts to support them with additional financial resources. In addition, the campus hosts a number of programs and centersto support students from diverse backgrounds.

Located just an hour south of the state capital in Indianapolis, Indiana University Bloomington is widely considered to be one of the country’s most beautiful university campuses. Many of the campus’ original buildings were constructed from limestone quarried just a few miles away, and the recent building program on campus has remained true to that heritage. The century-old, 500,000-square-foot Indiana Memorial Union (IMU) is a center of campus life, typically hosting more than 17,000 events each year. Bloomington itself stands among the highest-ranked college towns for quality of life in the nation.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Reporting to the Provost and Executive Vice President of the IUB campus, and in collaboration with academic deans, vice provosts, the assistant vice president for arts and humanities research, leadership of culture centers and research institutes, faculty, staff, and students, the Executive Director will bring

forward a comprehensive, future-facing vision and plan for arts and humanities at IUB that harness the vast resources of the campus. At a time of change in and around arts and humanities, the EDAH will be entrusted with advocating for and manifesting arts and humanities as essential parts of IUB’s identity and mission.

Responsibilities for the new Executive Director include:

• Provide visionary strategic direction for arts and humanities at IU Bloomington, including conceiving and implementing a comprehensive arts and humanities strategic plan.
• Serve as the chief advocate and symbolic champion of the arts and humanities at IU Bloomington, embodying the university's commitment to fostering cultural and intellectual growth.
• Grow the local and global impact, visibility, and recognition for arts and humanities at IUB by catalyzing the historic strength, depth, and expertise in the arts and humanities, and collective creativity that make IU Bloomington a unique and vibrant arts and humanities ecosystem.
• Collaborate in efforts to nurture and grow research and creative activity and increase the number and quality of national and international awards and recognitions in the arts and humanities, partnering closely with the assistant vice president for arts and humanities research.
• Foster equitable, inclusive, and healthy communities, organizational cultures, and structures across IU that can bring meaningful arts and humanities experiences to life.
• Fuel the evolution of and expand access to arts and humanities, both on the campus and beyond, by establishing and growing creative collaborations with cultural institutions, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Increase student access to and engagement in arts, humanities, and cultural offerings across IUB, including curricular and experiential learning opportunities, such as internships, research projects, and study abroad programs.
• Lead the campus’s Arts and Humanities Council, supervising five affiliated staff, along with student interns.
• Oversee the Gayle Karch Cook Center for Public Arts and Humanities at IUB, including dedicated exhibition space.
• Manage and deploy a dedicated annual operating budget, including oversight of budget planning and resource allocation for interdisciplinary and campus-based projects in the arts and humanities.
• Develop, monitor, and share metrics that clearly illustrate the influence and impact of the arts and humanities at IU Bloomington.
• Facilitate and inspire unique, campus-wide interdisciplinary programming and learning opportunities in alignment with the university strategic plan, IUB 2030.
• Engage in fundraising efforts to secure external funding to support interdisciplinary arts, humanities, and cultural activities.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

For our inaugural Executive Director for Arts and Humanities, Indiana University Bloomington seeks a visionary artistic and humanities leader with the experience, creativity, collaborative spirit, and determination to expand IUB’s global leadership and renown in arts and humanities, to make IUB truly the top destination for arts and humanities in higher education.

A terminal degree (Ph.D, MFA, DM or equivalent credential) in, or related to, a field of arts or humanities is strongly preferred. Candidates should have a record of successful scholarship or creative activity, a demonstrable record in higher education or arts and humanities administration, or other leadership or artistic experiences that would qualify them to hold a full professor with tenure faculty position at IU Bloomington.

While no one person will likely embody all the professional qualifications, skills, experiences, and personal qualities desirable in this role, the successful candidate will offer many of the following:

• Experience, vision, and leadership in the arts, humanities, or culture with expertise in strategic planning and the development and execution of creative and transformative ideas;
• Deep familiarity with challenges and opportunities in the complex and changing landscape of arts and humanities in public higher education;
• Energetic advocacy for a faculty consisting of outstanding and diverse educators, researchers, scholars, and artists;
• Administrative acumen and a proven ability to collaborate and build consensus across schools, disciplines, and campuses to enhance the University's profile;
• Effective communication to articulate to various constituencies the importance of creative activity;
• Successful fundraising and grant earning, with experience and enthusiasm for building relationships with external stakeholders for the benefit of IU;
• Financial acumen and proven abilities in budgetary and financial management;
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their work; and
• Respectfulness as a colleague and university citizen, sensitivity to and enthusiasm about the diversity of programs and scholarship at IU Bloomington.

TO APPLY:

All inquiries and nominations should be directed in confidence online to: searchbl@iu.edu

All applications (including—as separate documents—a cover letter of interest that includes your vision for arts and humanities in the context of IU Bloomington and IUB 2030, curriculum vitae, and list of references) should be submitted online at: https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/25951

The deadline for priority consideration is November 30, 2024. Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made. The expected start date is March 1, 2025.

Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual

qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.

Before a conditional offer of employment with tenure is finalized, candidates will be asked to disclose any pending investigations or previous findings of sexual or professional misconduct. They will also be required to authorize an inquiry by Indiana University Bloomington with all current and former employers along these lines. The relevance of information disclosed or ascertained in the context of this process to a candidate’s eligibility for hire will be evaluated by Indiana University Bloomington on a case-by-case basis. Applicants should be aware, however, that Indiana University Bloomington takes matters of sexual and professional misconduct very seriously.

Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status.